Life Sim - IDL

Life Sim - IDL
Life Sim is arguably the purest distillation of PC Music's naive, dayglo style. Unencumbered by the pop music posturing of other projects like Hannah Diamond or easyFun, Life Sim's music is simple and epic. It usually comprises little more than a single synth line, some drums and, occasionally, a donk note or vocal sample. But it's the hooks that drive it all home. So far, Life Sim has released just two 20-minute mixes of all original material, like miniature symphonies. "IDL," Life Sim's first proper single, comes with a clever music video stitched together from many different big-budget movies, a nod to the theatricality the project reaches for despite its simplicity.

Indeed, there is a blockbuster quality to "IDL," which feels like one of those 20-minute sessions condensed down into six. As usual, it's made with bright, opaque tones (and glockenspiel) that pluck out a Eurodance-style melody, speeding up and slowing down at a whim. Typical of Life Sim, "IDL" is written in passages, taking itself apart and rebuilding a few times. It doesn't necessarily go anywhere, but the repetition alone helps make that catchy melody feel progressively more urgent. There's a certain elegance to it—no irony or pretentiousness, just pure melody.

Thy Slaughter, one of the more obscure PC Music affiliates, surfaces for a remix that starts out with elements of classical music, before crinkling its nose and throwing down some nasty drums and sputtering samples. The rework ends by returning to the majesty of the original with gorgeous organs and chimes. It's an expectedly bizarre turn rounding off PC Music's best single of 2015.

More on A. G. Cook

A. G. Cook is a London based producer and the founder of PC Music, one of the most vital and discussed new ‘record labels’ of recent times. He is currently the Creative Director for the global pop star Charli XCX.
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